Contributing to the Pluralsight blog: Frequently asked questions

Pluralsight is now accepting community contributions to our blog! If you’re interested in learning more, check out our newly launched Pluralsight blog community contribution page. This article covers some of the common questions people have about contributing to our blog.

If you’ve got a question that’s not covered here, submit it via the form on the community contribution page, and one of our team members will happily get back to you.

• What is the process?
• What type of content can I submit?
• Is there an expected word count?
• Can I publish a post that I have on another website?
• Can I use generative AI?
• How many articles can I submit each month?
• Are you going to chop up my article and make it non-technical? Will I get to check it before it’s published?
• How long will it take to see the blog go live after I submit the final draft?
• If I want to use images, can I? What are the rules?
• What “voice” should I write in?
• Do I get paid for writing articles?
• Can I write in languages other than English?
• I’m new to writing blog articles—what should my blog post include?
• Do grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting matter?
• I can’t think of an idea for an article. . . 
• Interested in contributing to the Pluralsight community?

1. Register your interest

Visit our Pluralsight blog community contribution page, click on the “Register your interest” button, and fill out the Google form. This helps us understand who you are and what you’d like to write. 

2. Topic discussion

Once we’ve reviewed your form submission, we’ll reach out to you and discuss your article idea. Once we agree on the topic, you can go ahead and write your first draft! If you’re struggling with an idea, we can also help you out with suggested topics.

3. Draft review

Once you’re finished with your first draft, you’ll send it to us for review. Our team will work with you on any suggested revisions to make your article the best it can be before publication.

4. Publication

We will post the article in the next available time slot and let you know when it goes live. Feel free to share it on social media and make some noise!

The quickest way to see what kind of content we publish is to check out our blog! Our audience includes technologists of all stripes, tech leaders, and HR/LD professionals working with technologists. Anything that would be of value to these audiences would be beneficial. 

Our audience includes, but is not limited to, professionals working in:

• AI/ML

• Cloud computing

• Cybersecurity

• Data

• DevOps

• Product

• Software development

• UX

A list of what we publish includes, but is not limited to:

• Instructional tutorials (Bonus points for code snippets and screenshots!)

• Best practice advice, tips, and tricks

• FAQs or feature or service explainers

• Career and certification advice

• Industry or product news

• Event coverage

• Cheat sheets

• Personal career journeys

We highly recommend checking our blog to make sure someone hasn’t published something similar recently.

No, feel free to write as much as you think is needed to properly cover the topic. Our only rule is it needs to be long enough to publish as an article (typically above 600 words).

No, we only publish original content to our blog. Submitted content must pass a plagiarism checker.

We encourage you to write in your own words. It’s original, it’s human, and it’s more relatable.

That said, we know AI can be a useful tool. If you use generative AI for any portion of your article, you need to include a statement explaining which tool you used and why. For example, "During the creation of this article, [TOOL] was used by the author for [REASON]."

As many as you’d like! However, not every article may get published.

If there are any changes other than grammar tweaks, we’ll run it by you before it gets published. You’ll absolutely have the final say on what goes out there. We want to make sure you’re happy with whatever you put your name to.

Your article will be published in the next available publishing slot. This normally takes a few weeks, depending on the current article pipeline. We want to give your article the best possible exposure by not having it compete with too many other posts.

You can use images so long as they don’t breach copyright (i.e. Free to use commercially, no attribution required). For example, you can take screenshots of a product or include images you’ve made yourself (such as a diagram). Note that we generally don’t use everyday photographs or stock photos, as these clash with our brand style.

The content team will check these images and make sure they meet our publication requirements. In terms of sizing, these images should be of a high enough quality to be easily legible on a blog. (Normally at least 800px wide.)

Our articles are conversational, casual, and inclusive. Think about how you’d explain something to a friend. We also strive to be fluff-free and to the point—but you can throw in puns and references if you want, so feel free to experiment. Our content team will be here to help you out.

We do not pay for uncommissioned community articles on the Pluralsight blog.

Unfortunately, content published on our blog is currently in English only.

Writing your first blog article may be intimidating, but don’t worry. If you’re struggling to get started, you can use this general structure as a guide. 

Begin your blog article with a brief introduction. You want someone to keep reading, so explain the value of your article. What will a reader learn? What will they be able to do after reading? Briefly explain why this article matters and how it will benefit them. 

If you’re writing a guide or tutorial, describe any prerequisites or existing knowledge readers will need to understand before diving in.

Write the body of the article. Here, you’ll explain the topic in greater detail, answer questions, provide step-by-instructions, or share tips, tricks, and other helpful information. Try not to write a long block of text—separate the article into logical sections with relevant subheadings.

Wrap it up with a conclusion. End your article with any final thoughts, additional resources, or calls to action. Now that someone has read your article, what’s the next step you want them to take?

You can explore the Pluralsight blog for inspiration.

Correct grammar and clear formatting make it easier for readers to understand your content, so it’s worth taking the time to familiarize yourself with best practices. Here are some of our tips:

• Write shorter paragraphs. Shorter paragraphs are easier to skim, especially on mobile devices.

• Write shorter sentences. Split long sentences into shorter sentences. They’re easier to understand. 

• Use active voice. Active voice inspires trust and action. Active voice: “You can train GPT models.” Passive voice: “GPT models can be trained.” 

• Use subheadings. Subheadings structure your article, break up long blocks of text, and make it easier for readers to find the information they need. Google Docs has several built-in headings you can use. We recommend sticking with H2 - H4.

• Experiment with bullet points and numbered lists. Lists can help you break up text and provide step-by-step instructions. Don’t be afraid to use them.

• Explain acronyms and abbreviations. Try to limit your use of acronyms, abbreviations, and other jargon. If you need to use them, be sure to explain what they mean.

• Use sentence case. We use sentence case, not title case. That means you’d capitalize titles and headings the same way you’d capitalize sentences. For example, you’d write, “What is GitOps, and why should I learn it?” not “What Is GitOps, and Why Should I Learn It?”

• Limit excessive punctuation. You’ll mostly use periods and question marks. Use exclamation marks sparingly. In most cases, swap the semicolons for periods.

• Format code snippets. If your article includes code snippets, format them appropriately. In Google Docs, you can go to Insert > Building blocks > Code block to select a language and add code snippets to your article. (And don’t forget to test your code to make sure it works!)

• Include your sources. If you’re using quotes, including data or statistics, referencing documentation, or generally drawing on other sources, cite your sources. This is usually as simple as including a link to the video, article, tutorial, or information you’re referencing.

Don’t worry about getting everything right—our content team will be there to help. 

Not a problem! Reach out to us via the Pluralsight blog community contribution page. We can discuss the subjects you’re most interested in and go from there. 

Here are some other ways to identify a valuable blog topic:

• Answer a question you hear a lot in the field 

• Explain a common misconception about something

• Provide an introduction to a service, a cheat sheet, or a step-by-step guide on how to do an everyday thing. For example, “Linux commands for beginners (Sudo)” or “Conditions in bash scripting (if statements).”

If you’ve got an article you want to write, we want to hear from you! Visit our community contribution page and register your interest.